Last Hurrah in Francia!

This past weekend, there was “un puente,” which basically means a bridge. Or to say more clearly, a little break! So my friends and I decided to say goodbye to beautiful Granada, and hello to a very rainy and quite chilly FRANCE!

We began our journey very early Friday morning flying out of Málaga and into Lyon. This was a city I’ve never been to, but one that quickly became one of my most favorites ever. We tried amazing food, my favorite being something called a galette, a kind of buckwheat pancake with a bunch of savory toppings. We spent most of the day just walking around and eating whatever looked interesting to us. At night, we went to the supermarket and made a charcuterie board and spaghetti in our Airbnb. It was really nice to get the chance to cook again, even if it was just using the stove a little bit. 

In the morning, we hit up some bakeries and walked around a bunch before heading to the train to hit up Paris! The train had beautiful views and it was incredibly peaceful. We got to read and journal and take little naps. 

Once we arrived in Paris, we headed to the hostel to drop off our stuff. On the way, we encountered a bit of a snag in our plans: my friend booked the hostel for the wrong night! The funniest part of this was that this had happened to me about a month prior, with a different friend. We rushed to the hostel, and the receptionist said we made it “just in time,” as the room was not yet booked, and was readily available for us! 

I think a bump in the road like that would’ve really shaken me before going abroad. I’ve been able to be a more go-with-the-flow person recently, and I would really credit Granada for this, as well as my ability lately to live much more presently. I really noticed this during the Paris trip, as I felt very grounded in the moments I was living, rather than getting all anxious about the future or dreary about the past.

Anyway, we went to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, a bunch of food markets, the Seine, a jazz club, and so many cool spots. I have a couple friends studying abroad there, so they were able to show my friends and me all the best places in the city. Even through the rain and cold, the whole weekend felt magical. 

Though we left Paris at 3 a.m. on Sunday night (or Monday morning, rather) and we arrived back to Granada much, much sleepier than we left, the trip was an absolute success. I feel really lucky that I’ve been able to grab hold of so many opportunities while I’ve been in Europe. I have moments every week where I genuinely can’t believe that this is really happening, and I’m sure I’ll only be able to process it all once I’m back home. Could not love it more here.

¡Hasta pronto!

Lily